


The Concerned Citizen: Letters To Amelia

by Purebloodgodess



Series: Portrait Through Time [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Fix-It, Goblins, Harry Potter is Lord Potter, Independent Harry Potter, Ministry of Magic (Harry Potter), Sirius Black is Lord Black, Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It, Time Turner (Harry Potter)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-05
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:00:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,993
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27404686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Purebloodgodess/pseuds/Purebloodgodess
Summary: Amelia Bones gets a strange letter that prompts her to look into the home life of Harry Potter before his third year. Her involvement will change the course of Harry's life and the events of his third year.This is the sequel to "Portrait Through Time"
Series: Portrait Through Time [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1958137
Comments: 30
Kudos: 270





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is the sequel to "Portrait Through Time". You don't have to read it first but it will help this story make more sense.

Amelia Bones was thankful the day was almost over. The last two months had been busier than usual. The number of petty crimes was up and corresponding paperwork was taking up most of her desk.Not to mention the little matter of Sirius Black breaking out of Azkaban. Between the paperwork, trials and all of the man hunts she had to stay on top of, Amelia had hardly gotten to spend any time with her niece Susan and time was running out. She only had a few more weeks before Susan would be back at Hogwarts.

Things had become so crazy that Amelia had requested the second week of August off to ensure she had time for Susan. They were going to spend two days at a Swiss Spa and then head over to Paris for some shopping. Just the thought of some new dress robes got Amelia through the day. 

Signing the last report of the day, Amelia breathed out a sigh of relief. All she had to do now was grab her bag, drop the reports off with her assistant, and floo out the office before another crisis, aka something that Fudge couldn’t handle by himself, popped up. 

As if summoned by her thoughts, a message box flew into her office. Thankful it wasn’t a ministry scroll she grabbed the letter inside. Should she read it now or save it for tomorrow? It wasn’t important so it could definitely keep for a day, but she didn’t become Head of the DMLE from her lack of curiosity. Deciding the letter shouldn’t take much time to read, she opened it. After reading a few lines she put her bag down, sat back down into her chair and started reading the letter again.

_ Dear Madam Bones, _

_ I am writing to you because I have cause to be concerned about the living conditions of Harry Potter. I understand that my concerns should be directed to the Department of Child Welfare, however since they don't seem to know where he lives, I do not think that will be of much help.  _

_ In the two years since Mr. Potter has returned to the magical world, he has said some worrying things about his treatment by his relatives. To go along with that I have noticed that Mr. Potter does not return to relatives during the Yule or Easter break. Now I realize that families do not always get along and that is not an indication of mistreatment, however Mr. Potter seems to be quite small and unusually skinny. Again, I understand this could happen naturally. Which is how I have stopped myself from saying anything so far. _

_ However, during the children’s return from Hogwarts I witnessed a distressing scene between Mr. Potter and his uncle that has not allowed itself to be explained away. As they were leaving the station I saw Mr. Potter’s uncle dragging him by the arm and expressing his displeasure at having to come to the station and pick Mr. Potter up. He then mentioned locking up Mr. Potter’s belongings as soon as they got home.  _

_ That scene haunted me until I gave in and wrote to the Department of Child Welfare that I had cause for concern and asked if they would check in on Mr. Potter. Please understand that I did not want to be overly dramatic and hoped after a quick house call I would be proven wrong. Instead, I got a reply telling me that Harry Potter was probably the most looked after and protected child out there and even if the department wanted to they did not have access to Mr. Potter. That a third party was in charge of checking in on Mr. Potter and their yearly updates show that Mr. Potter was happy and well looked after.  _

_ Now Madam Bones, I may not be the smartest person but if Mr. Potter was getting yearly visits then shouldn’t he have been aware of the magical world before he was 11 years old. Shouldn’t this person have also been available to introduce Mr. Potter to the magical world themselves instead of Hagrid, Hogwarts groundskeeper?.  _

_ Again, I don’t want to seem extreme but the more I learn of the situation the more uneasy I feel. Since the DCW was unable to help I felt you were my only option.  _

_ Sincerely, _

_ A Concerned Citizen _

  
  


Amelia was stunned, was the information in this letter real? Did the DCW really not know where Harry Potter was or with whom he was living? They had just taken the word of someone else that a child was safe, and to top it off, not just any child but the bloody boy-who-lived?! No, this couldn’t be true. No one would be dumb enough to let that happen. So she would just pop into the DCW and have a quick chat with Glenda before she went home. 

______

Sitting by the fire later that evening with a glass of her favorite scotch, Amalia thought about all she had learned today. The DCW didn’t know where or who Harry Potter lived with. They had never checked on his living conditions and were taking the word of Albus Dumbledore that he was safe and happy. 

She understood that these were not Glenda’s decisions. Amelia had also inherited a mess when she became head but to not have straighten it out was rubbish. Glenda had been head for over 5 years and that should have been enough time to straighten things up and get control of the situation. It was the DCW’s job to check up on the placement of orphans, investigate claims of abuse, and make sure the education system in England met international standards. It would seem that wherever Dumbledore was involved Glenda’s power was curbed. 

The question now was should she involve herself? Technically there was a miscarriage of law happening in the Potter case. If she took this up, she would be going against Dumbledore, Fudge, and who knows what other politically influential people were involved. It wasn't like she didn’t already have her hands full with the Black case. On the other hand, there was a child that could need her help.

Amelia sat in front of the fire long into the night weighing her options.


	2. Chapter 2

By the next day Amelia had decided to wait and see. She was already swamped with the Black case on top of her regular work. She would find Potter at Kings Cross and evaluate his guardians there, maybe even introduce herself to him. If she got any weird vibes she would look into things during the school year. Hopefully by then they would have caught Black. 

That plan went out the window when Auror Lightfoot came into her office. He was an annoying suckup but he had his uses. Such as telling her that a call had come in that a woman was floating around Surry. When they got her down she claimed that a boy named Harry Potter did it. He had left the woman with his partner while he checked with Mafalda Hopkirk to see if Potter had been doing underage magic, and to grab an obliviator since the woman didn’t seem to be aware of magic before this. 

It would seem that fate had intervened, she might figure out the mystery of Potter’s guardians sooner than she hoped. Sending Lightfoot to go collect an obliviator, she headed over to the improper use of magic office. She should have thought of it sooner. Potter had to have had a few bursts of accidental magic growing up. 

To maintain the statute of secrecy, the IUMO kept a map of England in their office to monitor magic used in dense muggle areas. Magic used around Diagon Alley was usually ignored unless the power level/ type of the spell triggered the map, then aurors were sent out. When a wizard moved into a muggle neighborhood they were required to register with the ministry so they could key the location to the same level of monitoring as Diagon Alley. If a certain level of magic was used anywhere else, the map would alert the aurors to investigate. 

“Mafalda, I heard that there was some kind of trouble with Potter, what can you tell me?” Amelia asked as soon as she entered the office. She wasn’t fond of the gossip and wanted to get out of there as quick as possible. Hopefully she could catch Lightfoot before he left. 

“No need to worry Amelia, The Minister has already been notified.” The gossip said while puffing up her chest. “I’m sure this is just Potter looking for attention. I mean he blew the woman up like a balloon, but Dolores told me the Minister wanted to know of anything having to do with Potter so I sent a message off as soon as I got the alert.” 

“Right” It would seem that Fudge had recruited the rest of the departments to pass along information since she was keeping the Black case close to the chest. Amelia knew that anything she told Fudge would be in the papers the next day. “Is this the first time you have had to send someone out for what I am going to assume is accidental magic?” 

“Oh on Amelia, Potter’s file is thicker than most. We have had to send obliviators out a few times while he was growing up, and just last year I had to send him a warning. I don’t know what he was thinking using a hover charm in front of muggles but I set him straight.” Mafalda said sounding self-important. 

“ I was just on my way to meet with The Minister, do you mind if I took a copy of Potter’s file? I’m sure he would be interested in seeing it.” Amelia asked pushing down her disgust for the woman. Really, what kind of person got their kicks out of setting a 12 year old straight?

Excited at the prospect of helping the Minister, Mafalda ran to the back of the office where they kept their records. When she returned she had a thick folder in her hand. “Here you go Amelia, please let the Minister know that I am always here if he needs anything.”

“Yes, of course Mafalda, have a good day” Amelia said swiftly grabbing the folder and leaving the office. She had thought Lightfoot was bad, butt least he had a little dignity when brown nosing. 

____

An hour later Amelia found herself in a completely different situation. Instead of dealing with suck-ups she had her hands full with hostile muggles. After leaving Mafalda, she gave the Potter file a quick perusal before joining Lightfoot. By then the obliviator was just finishing up with the muggle woman. He gave a few care instructions to a man who turned out to be Potter’s uncle and left. 

She quickly sent the two aurors off and insisted on speaking with Potter’s uncle and his wife. She was reluctantly shown into the house, introduced to his wife, and then quickly ushered into the living room. Knowing that this was her opportunity to get the full view of the situation. Amelia started her interrogation with an important question. How did they get custody of Harry Potter?

Between her honed skills of interrogation, acting, and her sensitive bullshit meter she was able to convince the hateful muggles that she too disliked Harry Potter, and sympathised with their situation. That she was willing to be their ally in the enemy camp and could help them. That seemed to open the floodgates and all their sins spilled out. She could honestly say she had never dealt with muggles like this. 

As a pureblooded witch from a light family she had taken up this view that muggles were to be treated like helpless children. Especially after dealing with the atrocities committed against them during the war by Death Eaters. Now she was beginning to understand how some purebloods could look at muggle with disgust. She had to continuously remind herself that the actions of a few should not be held against the many. 

“So Potter overreacted to a few comments made by your sister and inflated her like a balloon.” Amelia summarized thankful they had finally gotten to the events of that evening. She wasn’t sure if she could stop herself from hexing these people if they said the word “freak” one more time. 

“Right!” Vernon exclaimed. “I have half a mind to press charges, I do. My poor sister, how will she ever be the same?”

“Yes, well I have your statements if you even need them” Amelia said lifting up her notepad. “Now before I go I think it best if you show me Potter’s room. I’ll make sure he didn’t leave anything dangerous behind. If he was angry enough to blow up your sister I think it is wise to make sure he didn’t leave any unpleasant surprises for you.” 

That seemed to shake them out of their reluctance. “Do you really think he would do that?” Petunia asked, clutching her husband's hand.

“Well after everything you told me about him I think I had better check. Especially after hearing about your son’s unfortunate tale incident.” Yep, that did the trick. Petunia was already on her feet and headed towards the stairs. 

Seeing Potter’s poor excuse for a room made the head of the DMLE want to curse the muggles six ways from Sunday and take her chances in front of the Wizengamot. The Potter hair was living in squalor and being worked like a house elf. Not to mention the verbal and probable physical abuse he was subjected to by his “family”. Amelia took a quick reading of the room and sent the information to her office. Remembering the letter from the day before she turned back to the hallway and asked Petunia “Is there anywhere else he might have stashed something. Or did he keep all of his magical items in this room?” 

Well that got an interesting reaction. The woman paled and started to fidget. “Well he might have put something in the downstairs broom cupboard. But the door is really hard to open. Would you be able to check without opening the door?” So she had something to hide in the cupboard, interesting.

“Of course, let's go take a look. I’m done up here.” Amalie did a quick check that she had asked all of her questions, and had gotten as many scans of the house as possible. Well all of the major areas that is. She was glad the woman had pointed her to the small cupboard under the stairs. She did a quick scan of the space and sent it off to her office. Turning back to Petunia she gave her a deceptively innocent smile and said “Since you have been such a big help to my investigation I would like to do something for you. Alohomora.” 

Reaching for the door, she started to explain that she had fixed the sticky lock when her brain processed what she was seeing.


	3. Chapter 3

Amelia’s office door flew open as Fudge pushed his way past her assistant.

“Why are Potter’s relatives locked up in our holding cells?” He demanded.

“Hello Minister. Please come in, have a seat. What can I do for you today?” Amelia answered as if Fudge hadn’t just barged in. Her calm reply seemed to throw him off his stride.

“Now see here Amelia, I don’t have time for your games. I just received a report that Potter’s muggle relatives are in our holding cells? On your orders! What is the meaning of this?” He continued trying to find his footing.

“Well Minister, as you know there was an incident last night involving Mr. Potter and one of his relatives. I thought it prudent to check on things myself since it involved Harry Potter. We wouldn’t want it to be said that we didn’t do our due diligence for such an important citizen. However, while I was at Mr. Potter’s residence I discovered signs of abuse that I was going to take to the DCW.” At that Fudge’s face paled and he found his way to the pre-offered chair. 

“If you only suspect abuse why were they brought in? You could be wrong and Potter will rain fiendfyre down on us! The media will have a field day when this gets out.” Fudge said, his voice tight with stress.

“I brought them in because I found the evidence I needed. Cornelius, they kept him locked up in a cupboard under the stairs. They kept a child in a small broom cupboard when they had two extra rooms available for him to use. It would be bad enough if it was just used as punishment but that was his room. They took the wizarding world’s savior and stuffed him into a cupboard like an unwanted house elf. And that is just the tip of the iceberg.” Amelia told him in a cool voice. 

“The question now Minister isn’t why are Potter’s relatives locked up but why wasn’t it done sooner? When the media finds out they are going to want to know how this could have happened to the Boy-who-lived? How could the Ministry have allowed this to happen?” She continued giving Fudge a questioning look.

The thought of blame seemed to jar him out of his stupor “But it wasn’t my fault! This is all Millicent Bagnold and Dumbledore’s fault! They were the ones who decided to put Potter with those muggles. Everything was decided before I came into office.” He exclaimed.

“That might have been an acceptable excuse when you first took office. However, you just started your fourth year in office and I doubt the public will understand why you still feel powerless against the former Minister and Dumbledore.” Amelia followed with judgement in her voice.

Shaking his head, Fudge began to stand up. “I need to speak to my advisors before this gets out.”

“If by advisors you mean Malfoy or Dumbledore I would advise against that.” Her statement stopping him from walking away. 

“Why would I not talk to them Amelia? Lucius always knows how to handle the media and Dumbledore is a part of this mess. He has to know what is happening.” He questioned.

“I know I am not one of your usual advisors Minister but I hope you will at least listen to my advice.” That seemed to catch Fudge’s attention. Amelia Bones wasn’t very political but she was highly respected and had maneuvered her way to Head of the DMLE without much opposition. She may not be his first choice but her advice might be useful. 

“Of course Amelia, I would appreciate any advice you have to give on this matter.”

“If it were me Minister, I would head over to the DCW and talk to Glenda. I would confirm if Harry Potter had been checked on, who did it, and what their reports say. I would then get ahead of this and figure out who is next in line to take in Mr. Potter. Then make very sure that these people are fit to take him in. You know if this gets out before custody has been transferred people will be crawling out of the woodworks trying to get him. Some with good intentions but many will be looking to use him and unfortunately some will see this as an opportunity to get revenge for He-who-must-not-be-named. Either way, it will be a mess that the Ministry will get dragged into.” 

Fudge was glad he had stayed to listen. He was right about her. Amelia wasn’t actively political but she sure knew her way around it. “Thank you Amelia, I think I will do just that.”

“I would also suggest you plug up any leaks and make it clear that no one is to talk about the Potter case. That will give you as much time as possible before the media gets wind of this. I would then launch an investigation into how Harry Potter ended up with those people in the first place. That way, when the media does come knocking, you will have answers for them and can point the blame at the proper parties. Those parties might involve Dumbledore and Lucius Malfoy.” 

He could see why she stopped him. He would have to weigh throwing Dumbledore under the broom against their future relations. However, he wasn’t sure what Lucius could have to do with this.

“I understand Dumbledore’s part in this but what did Lucius do?” He asked.

“I’m not sure Minister, but I’d rather be safe than sorry. I would look into everything and get a clear picture of who was involved before I asked for advice. Lucius Malfoy has had his hand in many important decisions over the years. Who knows what he may or maynot have known.” Amelia finished with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes” He nodded. “Yes, you make a good point. I shall hold off on speaking to others about the case until I know what happened and who was involved. I guess I will have my hands full over the next few days. If you will excuse me Amelia, I had better get to it.” He stood up again and walked towards the door. Pausing he asked “Would you be available to discuss the situation once I learn more?”

Under normal circumstances Amelia would have discouraged him from knocking on her door for advice, but she didn’t trust him to do right by Harry Potter without proper guidance. “Of course Minister, and I will keep you updated on Mr. Potter’s relatives.”

“Thank you.” He said as he walked out of the office.  
_____

Once alone in her office Amelia thought over the events of the last 48 hours. From the mysterious letter that brought Potter’s relative to her notice, to the balloon incident, then finding that disgusting cupboard and arresting those muggles, and now she had Fudge coming to her for advice. The Potter case seemed to be on the fast track and she hoped that it was a good thing.

Checking her watch, she calculated she had enough time to go over one more report before her scheduled interrogation with Potter’s relatives. She had been so mad last night she had bound the aunt in ropes and stunned her husband before storming out into the yard and calling for backup. She had sworn the arriving aurors to secrecy under their auror oaths, told them to have Marge Dursley look after the son when he came home, and carted the muggles off to a holding cell. 

She explained why they were there and their rights as muggles before leaving. She then left strict instruction for them to be left alone. As in, don’t fix the aunt’s nose that had been bleeding after she face planted when Amelia bound her in ropes. Don’t revive the husband and don’t bring them any food until she gave them the go ahead. 

Now that she had had time to calm down she would sit in on their interrogation and get every last detail about their abuse on the record. Then she would make sure charges were brought against them and they faced the maximum penalties.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * I got my Ministry info from HP wiki. 
> 
> In the next chapter we will finally get to check in with Harry.


	4. Chapter 4

Harry woke that morning feeling relaxed and well rested. He had decided to take advantage of the opportunity to have a bit of a lie in. For once he didn’t have to wake up to make breakfast for the Dursleys, go to class, or join his noisy roommates ,aka Ron, for breakfast. It was wonderful to not have anything on his schedule and just lie in bed dosing in and out of sleep.

By 8:30 he figured he had had enough and started to get dressed. He planned to go out and explore the Alley today. It would be nice to see it without the crowds and be able to explore shops that didn’t have his school things. But first he would get something to eat.

Heading over to the bedside table he grabbed the menu he had found last night with instruction on how to order and pay for meals. Deciding a light breakfast to reintroduce his stomach to food would be wise, he called the house elf listed and ordered oatmeal and fruit. 

As he waited on his meal, Harry opened his trunk and pulled out a robe to cover Dudley’s rags and his money pouch. He wasn’t sure how much was left in it but he didn’t want to embarrass himself by not knowing. By the time he had hung the robe off the back of the chair and dumped his money onto the table, a house elf had arrived holding a tray of food. 

“Where would the young master like his meal?” The small creature asked. This one was very different from Dobby. For starters, it seemed to be female, and wore a clean yellow dress. It also seemed a lot less excitable. Her eyes were just as big but seemed to have lilac irises. Her nose was just as long but turned up instead of down. She also had a full head of dark brown hair that was held together in a ponytail.

“Over on the table will be fine, thank” 

Nodding, the elf put the tray on the table opposite the spread out gold and turned back. “Does the young master need Misty to do any washing today?”

“No not today Misty. But if I need to in the coming days how do I let you know?” 

“Young Master just bes leaving dirty clothes in blue basket next to the sink. Misty comes every morning at 11 to clean room and will take clothes. Then Misty bring them back at 4 before dinner rush starts.” She informed him. 

“Great, thank you Misty” She lifted her hand to snap her fingers before pausing. 

Looking unsure she asked, “Would young master like Misty to straighten his robe before she goes?” 

Turning to look at his robe he saw what she meant. It was pretty wrinkly from sitting balled up in his trunk. “Yes please, if it won’t be too much trouble” he said with a small smile.

The elf gave her fingers a snap, looked over the robe, gave Harry a nod, and popped away.

Harry settled down to eat while he perused his finances. It didn’t look like he had much left. Fudge had told him his room and board was covered so that was one less worry. The amount he had leftover from last year would be enough for a few treats. However, sooner or later he would have to stop by the bank and refill his bag. This was also the perfect opportunity to see how much was in there. He had no idea how much money in the vault and he still had 5 years of Hogwarts left. He couldn’t imagine running out of money before then. It would be a disaster. Without a way to pay for his schooling he would be sent back to the muggle world and have to put up with the Dursleys mocking his failure. 

Just the thought of it had him changing his plans for the day. As soon as he was done with breakfast he would head over to the bank.

______

As Harry walked through the bronze doors of the bank he was happy to see only a few people in line to speak to a teller. The difference between the back to school crowd and the regular crowd in Diagon Alley was like day and night. Being able to leisurely walk down the street and look around without bumping into anyone was very pleasant. It brought back the feeling of adventure and amazement he felt the first time he entered the alley.

Getting in line Harry went over what he needed to ask the teller. First he was going to ask to make a withdrawal so a cart goblin could be called, then he would ask how he could find out the balance of his vault. Hopefully the Goblins had a way to keep track and he wouldn’t have to count everything himself. 

After a short wait Harry found himself being called up to the teller on the far left. “Hello sir, I need to make a withdrawal from my vault.” The goblin nodded and pressed a button on his desk. “I was also wondering how I can find out the balance of my account.” Well that seemed to annoy the goblin if the sneer was anything to go by. 

“Mr. Potter receives monthly statements on his account. I would have thought you wizards would have learned by now not to test out security after the last two attempts.” The goblin bit out slamming his hand on the desk. Now they had the attention of the room and he could see a guard making his way over.

“No sir, you misunderstand, I really am Harry Potter. I can prove it.” Harry said as he lifted up his fringe. 

“That hardly proves anything boy. A simple glamour or polyjuice would give you that scar.” The guard was almost at the teller desk now. How did he always get himself into these situations?

“Well I am Harry Potter, I have my key, and anything you need me to do to prove it, I can because I’m me.” Harry rushed out hoping to calm things down and not get arrested. Binns’ class might be a bore but you did come out of it with a proper fear of goblins. 

Before the teller could replay a goblin appeared on his left, who thank Merlin wasn’t the guard. “Calm yourself” He said to the teller, “I will take it from here. Follow me Mr. Potter.” The new goblin said as he turned and walked away in the direction of the guard. Oh great, he still might be arrested.

He started after the new goblin, then stopped and turned back to the teller. “Sorry for all the trouble sir.” Then rushed to catch up. Thankfully when they got to the guard his new guide told him he was being taken to speak to the Potter account manager so his identity could be verified. The guard took in the information and insisted he escort them. 

Now that the situation had calmed down Harry was able to observe his guide. Although goblins always dressed like muggle businessmen ,except the guards, his guide looked a little extra posh. His black shoes were shined, he wore a gold ring with some kind of brand stamped on it on his left hand and a monstrous ruby on his right, and his suit just seemed expensive. Harry had learned from his uncle that the higher up in the company one was the more posh you dressed. With the way the goblin spoke to the teller and the guard, Harry would guess that this goblin was higher up than he was used to dealing with.

“Excuse me sir, I was a bit overwhelmed in there and forgot my manners. You already seem to know who I am but may I have your name?”

The goblin turned back with an amused smile “My name is Haggler”

Harry though he had better be polite and ask the guard’s name as well, but when he turned to look at him he got the impression it would be better if he didn’t.

As they took a left Harry realized that they were in a part of the bank he had never been before. Usually he went straight from the teller to the carts and down to his vault and back again. This hallway didn’t look like a creepy cave. Sure the walls were still made of stone, but they were smooth on all four sides, dry, and well lit. 

A little further into the hallway they came across highly polished wooden doors with gold plaques along the side. The number of plaques varied as they moved along. The first couple had one plaque then four. After going down a stone enclosed stairway with marble steps, Harry realized they had hit another level of the bank. 

This level looked similar to the last except the candle holders were gold and doors only had 3 then 2 plaques next to them. The biggest difference was the guards stationed at the ends of the hallway. Half way down they came upon an intersecting corridor on their right. The décor was the same as the rest of the floor but there were even more guards posted along this Hallway. 

Thankfully their journey came to a close when they stopped a few doors in. The plaque next to the door read “Master Goldfeather”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all of the encouraging comments and kudos!
> 
> __In the next chapter Goldfeather and Harry meet.


	5. Chapter 5

Harry was man enough to admit to himself that the goblin in front of him freaked him out. Haggler had left him in a grand office with ornate moldings, gold torch holders, a large mahogany desk, and a posh black leather chair that held Master Goldfeather.

Harry took his time observing the goblin as he prepared the blood verification test. Goldfeather seemed just as high up as Haggler. The older goblin wore a fine suite of navy blue, with a royal blue waistcoat, and a gold pocket watch’s chain hung out of his left breast pocket. 

“If you would hold out your hand, I’ll extract a few drops of blood and once it is mixed with the solution on the parchment, we will be able to verify your identity.” Goldfeather explained as he held out a silver dagger. 

Harry watched the parchment ripple as his blood fell onto it. He hoped magic never stopped being so exciting. He was happy to experience something strange and different in a safe environment. The last time a piece of parchment had absorbed substances placed on it, the situation hadn’t gone so well for him. 

As the blood started to seep into the parchment little waves started to form out from the droplets spreading the blood over the rest of the page. The waves continued until the parchment was no longer white but had a pink hue.   
With a tap of Goldfeather’s finger, writing started to appear. At the very top was the name Harry James Potter. From there the rest of his family was revealed. He was finally going to learn more about where he came from.

Connected to his name by a solid back line were the grayed out names of James F. Potter and Lily J. Potter née Evans. From their names sprouted broken lines. James’ line led to the name Sirius O. Black and Lily’s connected to Alice T. Longbottom née Fortescue. Alice had a solid black line connecting her to Frank J. Longbottom and below them was a solid line that connected them to Neville. Harry knew Neville lived with his grandmother and had always assumed that his parents were dead. But they seemed to be alive assuming that was what the black ink meant. 

“ Excuse me, but what do the broken lines mean?” Harry asked Goldfeather.

“The broken lines indicate a godparent bond. Sirius Black and Alice Longbottom are your magical godparents. And your mother was Neville Longbottom’s godmother as well.”

“Since their names are in black, does that mean they are alive?”

“Yes, Sirius Black was in Azkaban prison for many years and Alice and Frank Longbottom are in St. Mungo’s long term ward.” Goldfeather explained.

Harry turned his attention back to the parchment to see even more of his family had been revealed. His father’s parents were Fleamont and Euphemia Potter née Lockridge, and his godparents were Alexander Michaelson and Minerva McGonagall. 

McGonagall was his father’s godmother! What the hell! Why didn’t she tell him or even take him in? Sure she was strict but it would have been loads better than the Dursleys. Harry couldn’t help feeling resentful that she had kept this from him. It would have been nice to have some connection to his father. 

Fleamont’s parents were Henry Potter and Elizabeth Potter née Fleamont. Henry had a brother named Charlus who married Dorea Black and together they had a child named Samuel. All of their names were in gray.

The tree had one more layer, a line extended from Henry and Charlus to Zander and Loretta Potter née MacMillan. It was strange to see so many names he recognized from people he went to school with. Through marriage, he was related to the MacMillans, Elizabeth’s mother was a Burk, and Euphemia’s mother was a Crabbe. He really hoped she didn’t look anything like Vincent.

Looking back to his mother’s side he saw her name connected to Petunia, Vernon, and Dudley. The sisters' names were connected to Jackson and Emily Evans née Timms. Looking at their names Harry realized that Petunia never talked about her parents. Outside his aunt and uncle, he knew just as much about his muggle family as he did his magical. Which was zilch. He would never admit it out loud, but he could see why Riddle went crazy researching his family. 

While Harry was busy looking over his family, more information had appeared below the tree.

“Is it possible to get more information out of the tree? Like could it go further back or give more information about the family of the people that married in?”

“This particular document was designed to only go back four generations and show one generation out from the spouse. If you want a more detailed genealogy you will need a special document created. It requires a custom set of runes and spells that can get pricey. If you are interested in having one made we can discuss it after we get through with this.” Goldfeather explained.

Harry nodded and focused on the new information that had appeared on the parchment. The next layer was titled inheritance. It started with familiar names, then a few unknown, and ended with a concerning one.

Inheritance of Harry James Potter:

Potter Family - Heir - Lord Potter  
Gold : 11,418,682g, 325s, 150k  
Property: 3

Fleamont Family - Heir - Lord Fleamont  
Gold: 113,453g, 12s, 25k

Lockridge - Hair  
Gold: 30,120g, 8s, 5k

Peverell - Heir - Lord Peverell  
Gold: 374,555g, 12s, 5k

Black Family - Heir of Lord Sirius Black  
Gold: 56,000g  
Property: 1

Gryffindor - Heir - Lord Gryffindor (Through Family Magic)  
Property: ¼ Hogwarts, The Sword of Gryffindor

Slytherin - Heir - Lord Slytherin (Through Right of Conquest)  
Property: ¼ Hogwarts

“I think this one might be defective Master Goldfeather” Harry said in a strained voice.

“I assure you it is working fine Mr. Potter” Goldfeather didn’t look concerned but maybe a little confused. “Let us start from the top. As you could have guessed you are the heir of the Potter Family through your father. That is also how you inherited from the Fleamont and Lockridge families. You are the last member of both. You are also Sirius Black’s heir.” Goldfeather said with a little frown. “You are also somehow related to the Peverell Family. Their account has been in stasis for many years. As for the last two… I can see why you are surprised. At some point the Gryffindor family magic was able to test you and find you worthy of the title Lord Gryffindor. You gained the Slytherin Lordship through the right of conquest so it must have happened the night your family was attacked.” Goldfeather finished with some uncertainty. 

Pushing his fear aside to settle his curiosity Harry asked “Do you not think that’s what happened? Only, you seem a little uncertain, Master Goldfeather.”

Goldfeather considered the question before leaning back into his chair and explained. “The right of conquest is usually activated during a duel when one wizard challenges another and stakes are agreed upon. It can also happen when one wizard challenges another on multiple occasions and loses at least three times. The last is when a blood feud is declared and one party is defeated or surrenders. That is how it usually comes about. I’m not sure if your case falls under one of the three, some combination, or something completely new.” 

Absorbing the new information Harry could now see how he might have gotten the lordship. “I didn’t get the lordship from some strange or new combination. I think I just defeated Voldemort three times sir.”

“And how did you accomplish that Mr. Potter? As far as I am aware, you were only attacked on the night of his defeat.” Goldfeather asked with some skepticism. 

“Yes sir, as you said, he was defeated but he wasn’t killed. In my first year Voldemort was possessing the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor Quirinus Quirrell. At the end of the year, they tried to steal the philosopher's stone. I was able to stop them but professor Quirrell died and Voldemort’s spirit escaped.”

“I don’t remember seeing any of this in the paper.” Goldfeather said looking disturbed.

“No sir, I don’t think Dumbledore wanted it to get out. It might scare people I guess.”

“Right, and the third incident?”

“Well last year, my friends and I found out what was petrifying the students. Voldemort put a copy of his 16 year old self into a blank diary and through the diary he was able to possess Ginny Weasley. He used her to control Slytherin’s monster which was a basilisk. At the end of the year he tried to use her lifeforce to bring himself back. But I was able to kill the basilisk and use one of its fangs to… I don’t know, I guess kill the diary? Anyways, that must have been the third time.” Harry finished feeling stressed thinking about the events that only happened a few months ago. Turning his attention back to Goldfeather, Harry noticed the goblin’s eyes were very wide. 

“You killed a basilisk?! How big was it? How did you even kill it? Did you use a rooster? Yes, you must have had a rooster.” The questions poured out of Goldfeather until he seemed to find an acceptable answer.

“Umm, no. He killed all of Hagrid’s roosters at the beginning of the year and there wasn't time to get one before confronting him because he had kidnapped Ginny and was going to kill her. We tried to get the Defense professor to help us but he turned out to be a fraud. I was only able to kill it because the Headmaster’s phoenix Fawkes pecked out its eyes and gave me the sword of Gryffindor. And honestly, it was pure luck that I was able to kill it. That snake was almost a train car and a half long, and I had never held a sword before. I was lucky it only bit me, it could have snapped me in half.” Harry finished with a shudder.

“You were bitten by a basilisk, how are you still alive?” Goldfeather asked looking pale and red at the same time.

Harry was beginning to regret voicing his theory. He really didn’t like thinking about these experiences. He tried to avoid thinking about all of the scary and horrible things that had happened to him since entering the wizarding world because it was supposed to be an improvement from the Dursleys. And it was only horrible some of the time. The rest of the time it was loads better than his life with his relatives. 

“Fawkes cried on the bite and healed me. Anyways, I didn’t mean to derail the meeting. I know you are busy.” Harry tried to turn the focus back to his inheritance.

“Right, well this is the perfect time to bring up one of the stipulations of the Potter account. The Lord or heir of the family must have a yearly check up to make sure they are not being controlled by others. Before you are able to touch anything outside of your trust vault you must be checked on by a healer. The Goblin Nation is willing to provide this service or you may go to a wizard healer. But they must sign an oath certifying that their report is accurate.” Goldfeather explained as he calmed down and got back to business. 

Harry had never been to see a doctor or a healer outside of Madam Pomfrey. He didn’t like the idea of seeing one but it was kind of nice to think that a past relative cared about their descendants’ health. 

“I would like to use the Goblin Nations’ services please. I don’t know any healers other than Madam Pomfrey and I would like to get it done before school starts. How much will it cost?” And that’s when it hit him, HE WAS A BLOODY MILLIONAIRE!


	6. Chapter 6

Cornelius Fudge could honestly say this was his hardest year in office. First all of that trouble at Hogwarts, then Sirius Black escaped Azkaban, and now this Potter mess. He wished he could sweep it all under the rug and pretend it wasn’t real but it was all too public for that. No, he would follow Amelia’s advice and try to get ahead of things so he could direct all of the public’s ire at the appropriate people when they came knocking.

Speaking of knocking, there was barely one before Amelia came through the door and swung it shut before Dolores could stop her. 

“Sorry for barging in Minister but I just got through with Potter’s relatives and unfortunately they are still breathing. Those people are the equivalent to blood purists. They absolutely hate anything/anyone different from them. The uncle was perfectly happy to tell me all about Potter’s freakishness yesterday, but a night in jail loosened the aunt’s tongue. She went on a long tirade about how much she hated her “perfect” sister, and how Lily got what was coming to her, but of course she couldn’t die properly and take her son with her, so they were burdened with their freak of a nephew. To make up for this they used him as their personal house elf from the age of 3, and later a stress relief and took their anger out on him for every life frustration they had. Cornelius, they worked the child to the bone, beat him when it suited them, starved him, and then threw him into a cupboard so they could pretend they were normal people and about all the evil they were doing.” Amelia ended with a slight tremor in her voice that he was going to politely ignore. 

“What would you suggest we do next Amelia?” Things just kept getting worse and worse. He wished he could hand this mess off to Dumbledore but the possibility of him getting blamed for them was too great. Dumbledore had enough good will and power to wiggle his way out of this, him not so much. 

“We should let whoever is looking after Potter know that they will need to keep him for the rest of the summer if possible. I would like to bring charges against the Dursleys and have them tried in front of the Wizengamot. Originally, I was going to collect all of the evidence and hand them over to the muggles but after that confession I want them to rot in Azkaban.” She all but shouted. 

Oh shit! “Umm… about that. Dumbledore arranged for Potter to stay at the Leakey Cauldron for the rest of the summer. The owner agreed to keep an eye on him and report to us if there was any trouble.” Fudge admitted thinking this was exactly the kind of blowback he was trying to avoid. 

“You left a 13 year old to stay at the Leaky Cauldron for weeks by themselves with barely any supervision. You realize that he is going to be wondering around muggle London and Diagon Alley without any protection, and if anything happens to him you will get the blame since you were seen leaving him there?” She asked looking unimpressed and maybe a little disgusted. Hell he was feeling disgusted with himself for allowing Dumbledore to use him like that.

“Yes, on a closer review, that was not a wise decision. Should I find someone to house him for the rest of the summer?” He asked already adding another item to his list of things to do.

Amelia considered the matter for a few moments before speaking. “Since that situation is already set up and we are currently looking for suitable guardians, I think it might be better to let him stay at the Cauldron for now and just assign him some protection. With Sirius Black roaming around a little extra security around the Alley would not be amiss. I think assigning an auror to follow Potter and another two to patrol the alley will kill to birds with one stone.”

“Yes, I think that is an excellent suggestion!” And having the aurors in the alley will make people feel safer and see that the Ministry is doing something about Black. Amelia was turning out to be a great advisor. 

“I will set up a meeting with Potter tomorrow to explain the situation with his relatives and the auror protection.” Amelia said wrapping up. 

As she started to stand there was a rapid knock on the door before it was pushed open again. This time to admit Glenda with Dolores right behind her. “You can't just barge into the Minister’s office!” Dolores shouted. Turning towards him she continued. “I tried to stop her Minister, but when I told her you were in a meeting with Madam Bones she decided she was invited to the meeting as well. I will contact the aurors and have her arrested.” She said with a strange little smile. Maybe he should have gone with another option, Dolores was getting to be a bit over enthusiastic. 

“Thank you Dolores but that will be unnecessary. I believe Glenda has some information Amelia and I asked her to look into for us.” He explained and dismissed her with a wave of her hand.

“You won’t believe what I just found out about the Potter will.” Glenda jumped right into explaining.

“Glenda!” Amelia exclaimed and then looked at Dolores who was still standing in the doorway. The three watched her until the door was fully closed and the privacy wards activated. “You need to be more careful, Glenda. If the wrong information gets out before we are ready, the fallout might cost some of us our jobs.” Amelia warned with a pointed look at the other woman. 

“You’re right Amelia I just … did you know that the Potter’s will was sealed and never went through probate?” And the punches just kept on coming.  
___

Harry was starting to think he should have waited to see Madam Pomfrey. The female goblin that Goldfeather had introduced as his healer might just be the scariest goblin he had met thus far.Goldfeather had led Harry down two more levels of the bank before they got to the medical level. The layout of this floor was different from the others. As soon as you entered the floor you were greeted by a guard with a silver helmet and red spikes along the top. Harry hadn’t seen a helmet like that before and wondered if it was an indication of rank or that he was assigned to the medical floor.

After Goldfeather explained the reason for their visit, Harry was shown into an office towards the end of the hall.   
He barely got through his introduction before being kicked out of the room. Healer Aurora didn’t waste time on bedside manners and immediately demanded Harry lay down on the cot while she placed stones, or crystals maybe, around him. As she started chanting, Harry took the time to observe the room.

Harry was amused to note the similarities between goblin and wizarding medical facilities. Both smelled like a mixture of sage and lavender, and favored the colors white and silver. It was actually kind of calming being surrounded with the familiar scent of the hospital wing.

Healer Aurora’s chanting got lourder and the crystals started to glow. This was very different from anything Madam Pomfrey had ever done to him. He wondered what she was saying and how it differed from wizarding magic. Was this a type of magic he could learn? Would he be able to heal himself at the Dursleys without getting in trouble with the ministry? God knows he was going to need some kind of healing when Vernon got through with him next summer. 

The chanting stopped so abruptly it was a little shocking. Turning his focus back to the healer, Harry watched as she walked around him and the still glowing crystals. As she moved around she seemed to become increasingly agitated. Every once in a while she would stop and mutter a few words in her own language. By the time she reached the other side of him Harry thought she was going to blow her top. Vernon would look like that right before he would … well it’s best not to think of that right now with another angry being standing next to him. Harry couldn’t think of what he could have done to make her so mad.

“Who has done this to you child?” Aurora asked in a tone much to gentle for the anger he could sense coming from her.

“Did what?” Harry asked uncertainly.

The question snapped her out of whatever mood she was in and she returned to the stoic goblin he had first met. “Mr. Potter, your body is malnourished. That means that your body isn’t getting enough nutrients. My evaluation shows that this is not a recent occurrence. Although this could occur if you have a certain kind of disease I did not find any of them in you. Because of the malnutrition you are severely underweight and underheight. Not only are your bones not growing properly, they are not as strong as they should be. Brittle bones may not be a problem now but as you age they will be. Your organs are also functioning overtime to sustain you. Honestly, if you didn’t have so much magic, you wouldn’t be able to function the way you do. A good bit of your magic is being used to keep your body preforming.”

His body wasn’t working right. All those years of missed meals could have done him in if it weren’t for his magic. Did they know that when they were starving him? He knew they didn’t like him and didn’t care if he was hurt. Hell, most of the time they were the ones causing the injuries, but were they trying to kill him? Did “stamping the magic out” include killing him in the process? Harry thought he had gotten over their hatred of him. But the thought that his aunt might have been trying to kill him brought new pain. 

“Mr. Potter” the healer said using that gentle tone again. “This damage had to have occurred over a long period of time. I also found many indications of fractured and broken bones that were not healed properly. If you had gone to a muggle healer they would not have been fully healed but they would be set properly. These injuries were not and your magic fused the bones together in an effort to keep you going. This all points to child abuse. Maybe in another child this might be explainable but your guardians had access to quite a bit of money to feed you. Then there are the injuries… Those damnable wizards should have kept an eye on you!” She snarled out at the end.

He wasn’t sure if it was someone actually calling it abuse or someone getting angry on his behalf, but his emotions started to overwhelm him. Teas started to well up in his eyes and he quickly looked away. He needed to stop! He was the boy-who-lived and a Gryffindor, not some little kid. He needed to pull himself together. 

Trying to calm himself down with slow deep breaths he was startled when he felt a light pressure on his back. Aurora’s hand slowly started to move in gentle circles and Harry became aware of a low humm coming from the healer. This new situation had distracted him from his tears. He had seen Petunia do something similar with Dudley when he got upset, but he had never had it done to him before. It was nice, calming. Feeling more in control he turned back to the healer.

“Although the damage is severe, it is not untreatable” She began again in that gentle tone while continuing to rub slow circles onto his back. “ With potions and a little magic we can undo a good bit of the damage. Unfortunately that is not the end of things. Your magic has also been attacked.”

“What’s wrong with my magic?” Harry almost shouted. He was used to being hurt physically but his magic … what would he do if they somehow hurt his magic? It was his only way out. He couldn’t take it if they had succeeded in stamping his magic out. If he had to give up the magical world after everything he wouldn't be able to survive.

“Calm yourself child. It was caught soon enough that we should be able to undo most of it.” She said adding more pressure to her circles. “You have had a magical suppressor placed on you. It has limited the amount of access you have to your magical core. It is a form of old magic that wizards used to use as punishment before there was Azkaban. Those who used their magic to do harm were striped of said magic and forced to live as muggles. Your suppressor is slightly modified so you still have access to your magic but it is limited.”

“Oh” was all Harry managed to get out. Somebody had put some kind of prison punishment spell on him that had stopped him from using all of his magic. That was scary but at least he still had his magic and wouldn’t have to stay in the muggle world. “Maybe one of the Slytherins did it at the end of the year. I haven’t felt any different but I also haven’t been using my magic since school ended.” 

“Oh child, this wasn’t done to you by another student. You have not felt the difference because this was done to you at a young age. Think of your magical core as a lake. At a young age somebody built a dam to block off ⅔ of your magic. However, at that age your core is still developing and thankfully is more malleable. As you grow your core gets bigger and like a muscle the more you use it the stronger it gets. In most children, magic is allowed to flow freely from their core threw their magical channels. This is how accidental magic happens. The core expands and magic is able to flow around the body and escape if it is too much.”

“However in your case, as your core expanded most of it was behind the dam and was not able to flow properly and the pressure was not released. Some of it was able to escape the dam and join your available magic. Under that situation you might have been able to function as a below average wizard until your magical majority. That’s when you would have run into problems but by then it would have been too late.” The healer explained.

Harry wasn’t sure he fully understood what she was saying but he got the gist of it. His magic was a damned up lake that was going to explode someday. 

Watching him process that bomb shell she seemed to come to some kind of decision and stepped away. "Now that we know what is wrong we can fix it. Let me summon Goldfeather and we can discuss treatment options."


End file.
